Cleaning Cloths with Discrete Scrubbing Elements to Facilitate Removal of Grease, Grime and Dirt

ABSTRACT

A cleaning cloth comprises a base fabric layer, a pile comprising a plurality of strands or loops extending from a first side of the base fabric layer, and a plurality of generally spherical mini-dots applied to the first side of the base fabric layer. Each mini-dot is preferably made of an acrylic paint and is applied in liquid from to at least one side of the base fabric layer. When the mini-dots harden or set, the mini-dots encapsulate one or more strands or loops of the pile.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/130,050 filed Mar. 9, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to cleaning cloths and, more particularly, to cleaning cloths having a plurality of discrete scrubbing elements to facilitate cleaning of grease, grime and dirt from the user's hands and or body.

BACKGROUND

Hand clothes for cleaning are typically made of soft, absorbent fabric materials made of synthetic or natural fibers. For example, microfiber clothes for general cleaning are made from polyester, polyamides (nylon), or a blend of polyesters and polyamides. Microfiber clothes can be woven or non-woven.

Cleaning clothes made with microfibers have the desirable properties of being soft and absorbent. These properties make microfiber clothes suitable for most general cleaning purposes. However, microfiber clothes lack abrasiveness needed to remove entrenched grease, grime and dirt from a worker's hands. Therefore, it is common for workers to use heavy duty hand cleaners or soaps with additives such as pumice and walnuts to facilitate cleaning. The heavy duty cleaners and soaps are frequently insufficient, so many workers use brushes as an aid in scrubbing grease, grime and dirt from their hands.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates generally to cleaning cloths to facilitate cleaning of hard to remove grease, grime and dirt from the hands or body of workers. The cleaning cloth comprise a woven, non-woven, or knitted cloth, such as a terry cloth or microfiber cloth. One side of the cloth includes a plurality of discrete, closely spaced globules or nubs referred to herein as mini-dots to facilitate scrubbing and removal of grease, grime and dirt. In one exemplary embodiment, the mini-dots are formed by acrylic dimensional paint, but other thermosetting materials can be used. The mini-dots may be arranged in any pattern. To produce the cleaning cloth, droplets of acrylic dimensional paint in liquid form are applied to the surface of a base fabric layer. When the droplets of acrylic dimensional paint dry, they adhere to the loops or fibers of the base fabric layer forming the globules or nubs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cleaning cloth according to one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a section view of a split microfiber used in a hand cloth according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a section view of a cleaning cloth illustrating an exemplary method of applying dimensional paint to create an array of mini-dots.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary cleaning cloth indicated generally by the numeral 10. The cleaning cloth 10 comprises a base fabric layer 12 having a pattern 20 of mini-dots 22 applied on one or both sides of the base fabric layer 12. The base fabric layer 12 may comprise a woven, non-woven, or knitted fabric cloth made of natural or synthetic fibers by weaving, knitting, felting or other known processes. In one exemplary embodiment, the base fabric layer 12 comprises a woven fabric layer made of polyester and/or polyamide (e.g., nylon) microfibers less than one denier in thickness. Preferably, the microfibers are split and then woven to form the base fabric layer 12.

FIG. 2 is a cross section of a split microfiber indicated generally by the numeral 14. The split microfiber 14 comprises a plurality of filaments or strands 16 that project radially outward from a longitudinally extending core 18. Splitting the microfibers 14 provides enhanced absorption compared to non-split microfibers. As will be described in greater detail below, the strands or filaments 16 formed by splitting the microfiber are encapsulated within the mini-dots 22 in the mini-dot pattern 20 to provide secure attachment of the mini-dots 22 to the surface of the base fabric layer 12.

Although microfiber clothes made using split microfibers are well suited for cleaning clothes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other fabric materials, particularly fabrics with projecting filaments or loops, may be used in place of microfiber clothes. For example, woven terry cloth fabrics with loops may be used in some embodiments. The loops of terry cloth fabrics improve absorption and will also be encapsulated within the mini-dots 22 that are applied to the surface of the base fabric layer 12.

As noted above, a plurality of discrete mini-dots 22 is applied to one or both sides of the base fabric layer 12 to form a pattern 20. The mini-dots function as scrubbing elements to help remove grease, grime and dirt from a user's hands or body. In one exemplary embodiment, the mini-dots 22 have a generally spherical shape; however, the mini-dots 22 may have many different forms or shapes. For example, in some embodiments, the mini-dots 22 may have a triangular, rectangular, or other polygonal shape. The mini-dots 22 can be applied in any pattern. For example, the mini-dots 22 may form a simple geometric pattern, such as a square grid pattern, or a decorative design.

In one exemplary embodiment, the mini-dots 22 are formed by an acrylic dimensional paint that is deposited on the surface of the base fabric layer 12 in liquid form and allowed to dry. The acrylic dimensional paint, when dried, forms small, generally spherical mini-dots 22 that partially encapsulate the loops or filaments of the base fabric layer 12. Preferably, the mini-dots 22 are spaced a minimum of 2.0 mm apart, but no more than 7.0 mm apart. That is, the space between the mini-dots should be a minimum of 2 mm. The spacing may be uniform or non-uniform. The thickness or height of the mini-dots 22 is preferably at least 2.0 mm but no more than 6.0 mm. The width or diameter of the mini-dots 22 is preferably a minimum of 2.0 mm but no more than 7.0 mm. The array 20 of mini-dots 22 should preferably cover at least 25% of the extent of the base fabric layer 12. That is, the space enclosed by the outer boundary of the pattern 20 should cover 25% of the base fabric layer 12.

As one example, assume a cleaning cloth 10 has a generally square shape with each side being 30 cm in length and that a 15×15 cm array of mini-dots 22 is applied to one side of the base fabric layer. The array is preferably centered on the cleaning cloth. The total area of the washcloth is 900 cm². The array of mini-dots 22 covers approximately 225 cm², which is 25% of the total area of the cleaning cloth 10. In this example, the mini-dots 22 may be spaced 5 mm center-to-center and have a diameter of 2 mm each. The minimum spacing between adjacent mini-dots 22 in this example would be 3 mm. The array would then comprise a total of 961 mini-dots 22 in 31 rows of 31 mini-dots each.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary method of making the cleaning cloth 10 according to one embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 3 illustrates a base fabric layer 12 made according to any conventional process. For example, the base fabric layer 12 may comprise a cloth made of microfibers or terry cloth as previously described. An advantage of microfiber cloths and terry cloths is that each includes a pile comprising loops or strands that extend from the central plane of the base fabric layer 12.

After the base fabric layer 12 is formed, a pattern of mini-dots 22 is applied to one or both sides of the base fabric layer 12. The mini-dots 22 may be applied by a jet printer 30, which is shown schematically in FIG. 3. The jet printer 30 comprises an array of nozzles 32 is disposed above the base fabric layer 12. The nozzles 32 are connected by a manifold 34 or supply lines to a reservoir 36 of acrylic dimensional paint in liquid form. Preferably, the array of nozzles 32 corresponds to the pattern of mini-dots 22 applied to the base fabric layer 12. Continuing with the previous example of a 15×15 cm array of mini-dots 22, the mini-dots 22 may be applied using a 31×31 array of nozzles 32. When the base fabric layer 12 is positioned beneath the nozzle array, the acrylic dimensional paint in liquid form is ejected from the nozzles 32 and applied to the surface of the base fabric layer 12. The material forming the mini-dots 22 flows around the strands or loops 18 in the pile of the base fabric layer 12 so that when the material dries, some of the individual strands or loops in the pile of the base fabric layer 12 are at least partially encapsulated within the mini-dots 22. Preferably, the material comprising the mini-dots 22 penetrates at least 50% of the distance from the outer extent of the fabric pile to the central plane of the fabric, and more preferably from 75-100%.

While it is advantageous to use a nozzle array that is coextensive with the pattern of mini-dots 22 applied to the base fabric layer 12, those skilled in the art will appreciate that an array of fewer nozzles 30 can be used. Assuming the same 31×31 array of mini-dots 22, a linear array of 31 nozzles 30 may be used to apply the mini-dots 22 to the base fabric layer 12. In this case, 31 rows containing 31 dots each are applied one at a time to the base fabric layer 12. After each row is applied, the array of nozzles 30 is moved before the next row of mini-dots 22 is applied. Alternatively, the base fabric layer 12 can be moved while holding the nozzle array stationary. In the most extreme case, all the mini-dots may be applied by a single nozzle 30.

The cleaning clothes 10 can be used by workers in a wide variety of industries to remove grease, grime and dirt from hands, arms and other body parts. The mini-dots 22 applied to one or both sides of the base fabric layer 12 enhance the abrasiveness of the cleaning cloth and facilitate removal of grease, grime and dirt from the hands or body. The cleaning clothes 20 may be used for cleaning in virtually any industry including construction, manufacturing, food service or other work environments in which the worker's hands are dirtied or soiled during normal work activities.

While the cleaning cloth 10 is intended as an aide in cleaning and removing grease, grime and dirt, it may also be used for exfoliating the skin. Exfoliating products currently on the market tend to be harsh on the skin. Many creams, soaps, stones and even exfoliating towels are abrasive and cannot be used on a daily basis without causing irritation. The cleaning cloth 10, according to embodiments of the disclosure, provides a gentle scrubbing action without the use of harsh chemicals that irritate the skin. The cleaning cloth 10 may be used to exfoliate the skin over all parts of the body including the hands and face.

The cleaning cloth 10 according to the present disclosure provides an alternative to harsh chemicals and soaps for cleaning the body or exfoliating the skin. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cleaning cloth comprising: a base fabric layer; a pile comprising a plurality of strands or loops extending from a first side of the base fabric layer; a plurality of generally spherical mini-dots applied to the first side of the base fabric layer, each of said mini-dots encapsulating one or more strands or loops of the pile.
 2. The cleaning cloth of claim 1 wherein the mini-dots have a minimum diameter of about 2 mm.
 3. The cleaning cloth of claim 1 wherein the mini-dots are spaced apart by a minimum distance of about 2 mm between mini-dots.
 4. The cleaning cloth of claim 1 wherein the mini-dots are a minimum of 2 mm in height.
 5. The cleaning cloth of claim 4 wherein the mini-dots penetrate at least 50% of the distance from the outer extent of the pile to the base fabric layer.
 6. The cleaning cloth of claim 1 wherein the mini-dots comprise an acrylic dimensional paint.
 7. The cleaning cloth of claim 1 wherein the mini-dots are arranged in an array that covers approximately 25% of the extent of the base fabric layer.
 8. The cleaning cloth of claim 1 wherein the base fabric layer comprises a microfiber cloth.
 9. The cleaning cloth of claim 1 wherein the base fabric layer comprises a terry cloth.
 10. A method of making a cleaning cloth comprising: forming a cloth including a base fabric layer and a pile including a plurality of strands or loops on at least one side of the base fabric layer; applying generally spherical mini-dots to the first side of the base fabric layer, each of said mini-dots encapsulating one or more strands or loops of the pile.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein applying generally spherical mini-dots to the first side of the base fabric layer comprises printing the mini-dots on the first side of the base fabric layer with a jet printer.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein the mini-dots have a minimum diameter of about 2 mm.
 13. The method of claim 10 wherein the mini-dots are spaced apart by a minimum distance of about 2 mm between mini-dots.
 14. The method of claim 10 wherein the mini-dots are a minimum of 2 mm in height.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the mini-dots penetrate at least 50% of the distance from the outer extent of the pile to the base fabric layer.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the mini-dots comprise an acrylic dimensional paint.
 17. The method of claim 10 wherein the mini-dots are arranged in an array that covers approximately 25% of the extent of the base fabric layer.
 18. The method of claim 10 wherein the base fabric layer comprises a microfiber cloth.
 19. The method of claim 10 wherein the base fabric layer comprises a terry cloth. 